This is but a section of an enormous “mat” of microbes found on the seafloor. The mat, researchers say, extends to cover an area the size of Greece. Spotted off Chile and Peru by a team led by marine biologist Dr Victor Ariel Gallardo, the mats are made of filamentous bacteria that are 2 to 7 centimetres long and big enough to be seen by the naked eye. The “Goliath” bacteria live in a part of the ocean that has very little oxygen, relying on hydrogen sulphide instead [Australian Broadcasting Corporation].